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7: A Blast From The Past

Author: Angelina
last update Last Updated: 2025-02-25 22:58:55

Lyra

Cartoons played on the small television that looked like it was from the nineties as Charlie sat in front of it with a few of his toys. He laughed at whatever had happened in the show, and I smiled at him from my place in the kitchen while I scrubbed at our plates from lunch.

It was Saturday, our favorite day since it meant I could be home with him all day.

Just as I rinsed a plate off, a knock reached the door, and I looked over curiously. Unable to see from there, I put the dish down and hurried to the door.

The moment I met his eyes through the screen door, my heart stopped.

My father stood outside, wearing a small smile. “Hello, Lyra. It has been some time.”

The shock moved through me like a bad dream. It didn’t feel real.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, voice barely above a whisper. “It’s been almost…three years.”

“I know, sweetheart,” he murmured with a sigh. “But I need you and the boy to come with me back to Philly.”

My heart raced at the idea, and I shook my head. Ev
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  • Kings Of The Bratva   8: A Blast From The Past II

    LyraDad led us to a fancy suite while I carried Charlie in my arms, slumped against my shoulder, still tired after sleeping in the car. The room was overkill, far too lavish than necessary. But when Dad wanted things to be perfect, he spared no expense.It was later at night when we arrived, and I couldn’t help but feel like the walls were caving in around me.Earlier that day, I had no idea I had already been sold off and promised to marry the very man I hoped never to see again.Dad sat on a loveseat and watched while Charlie played with his dinosaurs on the expensive-looking carpet. I stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows with my arms folded, watching the cars stuck in traffic below.Before long, the door opened, and several men walked in.Craning over my shoulder, my heart stammered the moment I found Valentin. His brothers followed, looking around the room.He met my gaze, and everything hit me. The rage, upset, and confusion over what had gone wrong between us. It crashed into

    Last Updated : 2025-02-26
  • Kings Of The Bratva   9: I'm Your Father

    ValentinLyra was a sight for sore eyes, and my god, did it feel like a punishment.Her beauty was startling, as if it had grown tenfold since becoming a mother. Immediately, I wished I had been able to see her belly swollen with my child. To be able to brag that I had secured a woman like her.She used to feel unbelievably good beneath me, taking everything I had to give her, always whining and whimpering for more. Nobody had compared to her since, even if it sounded pathetic to admit.Yet she hardly looked happy to see me then, and the shock of it all was too much.I had a son that I didn’t know about. She never told me.Three years had gone by, and as far as I had been concerned, she vanished. At that time, she raised our son in secret.Blinking back at her dubiously, I tried to hide my shock. I didn’t want to make a scene in front of the boy, even if I had felt robbed in a way.My brothers murmured to themselves, but I wasn’t paying attention.Drawn to the small child, I kneeled a

    Last Updated : 2025-02-26
  • Kings Of The Bratva   10: Officially Married

    LyraTwo days had gone by in a blur despite being bored stiff in the hotel suite, awaiting the day I’d be kissing my freedom goodbye.At the very least, the suite was nice, and Dad was gone most of the time dealing with business. It had been just me and Charlie, waiting for the wedding to arrive. But when you aren’t surrounded by your own things and only have the hotel television to watch, it feels like agony.But waking up that morning, I found a ballroom gown laid out on the bed, zipped up to protect it.I had barely unzipped it to take a look at the expensive fabric, embroidered with beautiful rhinestones and cut into a sweetheart neckline, by the time a woman stepped into the room.Gasping, I dropped the dress and looked at her in question. “Who are you?”The woman looked nice enough with her black hair up in a bun, giving me kind eyes. “I’m Nina, one of Valentin’s maids. He sent me to help you get ready. Lucky for you, I used to be an aspiring makeup artist.”“Oh,” I mumbled, st

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  • Kings Of The Bratva   11: Remorse

    ValentinI couldn’t wait for the ceremony to be over and for the cake to be cut.Even if I didn’t eat any, it meant we were closer to leaving the lackluster wedding and being able to return home sooner rather than later. It felt like a sham wedding because it was, and I couldn’t help but think that Lyra would’ve wanted better for herself.It was embarrassing, yet I was swept into a first dance before I could have any say in it.The music began to play after the chairs were cleared, and Lyra stood there somewhat awkwardly. Taking her hand, I pulled her closer and put my hands on her waist. Carefully, we began to sway silently. I could feel my brothers watching with their smug smiles. Enora took a few pictures.It was frustrating to know just how much they were enjoying themselves at my expense, even though they were the ones who discouraged my relationship with her in the first place. It was some twisted way for them to get under my skin, and it was working.It was like they enjoyed wa

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  • Kings Of The Bratva   12: I Have No Expectations

    ValentinThe neck of the bottle was mostly gone by the time the door opened, revealing Lyra escorted by a few of our men. She entered the room hesitantly as the guards nodded once and retreated to the hall, closing the door behind them.Standing there with her arms folded in front of herself, she cleared her throat awkwardly, not fully looking at me. She was still wearing the dress I had picked out for her, even if she didn’t know that part.Aware of the stagnant air between us, I chuckled to myself and dropped down into one of the seats. The cushion eased with a sigh beneath my weight, giving me relief from being on my feet during the ceremony.“It seems fate has brought us together again.”Lyra only pulled a small smile. I could feel her hesitance from across the room.“Sit,” I murmured, gesturing vaguely toward the other chair.Wordlessly, she did exactly that, gliding across the floor with her elegance. She took her seat opposite me and glanced around the room.Sighing to myself,

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  • Kings Of The Bratva   13: We're Not Done Yet

    LyraShock consumed me immediately, causing me to freeze in my place.I wasn’t expecting Valentin to kiss me. I thought he would ignore me, not laying a hand on me the entire night.But the feeling of his mouth against mine reignited that dormant lust—the memory of what used to be between us.Unable to fight it, I melted into the kiss, allowing his arms to wrap around me as he pulled us impossibly close. The feeling of his muscled physique beneath my palms was enough to have my body pulsing for him.He wasted no time showing me just how badly he wanted it, squeezing and caressing me everywhere he could.As our lips moved feverishly, he gripped the material of my dress and eased it down, done thanks easily to the zipper being down already. I gasped the moment he pawed at my chest, groaning into our embrace like he was returning home at last.As if by instinct, my body knew how to react to his, awakened by his touch. The want I had for him swam warmly in my system, begging to be taken

    Last Updated : 2025-03-01
  • Kings Of The Bratva   14: Strange texts

    LyraMoving day was a strange experience, but at least everything had been done for us. Valentin had sent some of his men to Port Hope to gather some of our belongings, but we didn’t have much, to begin with.The condo was in New York, as anticipated, and it was ridiculously lavish, yet surprisingly comfortable. Coming from a rich family, Valentin had multiple different homes at one time, and I had never seen this place when we were together.“New digs?” I asked, walking in with my arms crossed entwined with my son's. Charlie followed, not entirely sure about what was happening.“It’s not the one you remember because I sold that place and all the others I had,” Valentin returned simply, taking Charlie’s hand while he guided us through the beautifully decorated space. “And if you’re curious, this is now the only place I own.”I hummed my response, surprisingly satisfied by the answer.More homes meant more places to bring other women to, I thought to myself. It was a strange sort of r

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  • Kings Of The Bratva   15: Ambushed

    ValentinA week had already gone by since the wedding, and I still couldn’t wrap my head around it all.Our new life together wasn’t how I had imagined it at all. While we had ground-breaking sex during our quick honeymoon, nothing else evolved from it in the days that followed. We were exes with a son, forced to come together. We were married, but not exactly lovers. Or even friends, for that matter.It was a difficult territory to tread, and I didn’t know how to act or what to say around her.A part of me wanted to not only be a good father for my son but to be a good husband as well, but I wasn’t so sure Lyra wanted that.I was beginning to look past how she had kept our child from me, but just when I felt like I was over it, that resentment came creeping back in. Not to mention, her occasional warning looks seemed like a clear sign not to get too close yet.She was still angry with me; that much was clear.But even if that was all true, I didn’t want to walk on eggshells forever

    Last Updated : 2025-03-02

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  • Kings Of The Bratva   A/N

    I made the last chapter free as a little ‘I’m sorry’ gift for the slow updates. Thank you for being patient with me, my loves—I promise to be more consistent from now on! You deserve the best!(⁠ʃ⁠ƪ⁠^⁠3⁠^⁠)

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